Conference Agenda

Conference Agenda

We are so excited to share with you the agenda for the MTJA 2024 Spring Conference in Bismarck-Mandan! As we get closer and have everyone's tour, activity and dining choices processed, we will send a more detailed agenda to you via email.

Questions?

Please contact MTJA Associate Member, Camie Lies, Director of Marketing & Communications with the Bismarck-Mandan CVB, at (701) 557-7115 or camie@bmcvb.com with questions.

Tuesday, June 11

Throughout the Day: Board Members Arrive
You will receive your registration bag and materials upon arrival to the hotel.

6:30 pm: Board Dinner
Attire: Dressy Casual.
Non-board Members Arriving Early?  

Wednesday, June 12

8:00 am-12:00 pm: Board Breakfast & Meeting
12:00 pm: Board Luncheon

11:00 am-3:45 pm: Registration
Throughout the Day: MTJA Members Arrive  
1:00-3:00 pm: Optional Afternoon Tour  

4:30 pm: Guided Tours of North Dakota’s Gateway to Science
5:30-7:30 pm: Welcome Reception and Opening Remarks  

8:00-10:30 pm: Big Games!

Thursday, June 13

7:00-8:15 am: Breakfast Buffet
Radisson Hotel Bismarck. Learn about some exciting things coming to Bismarck and Mandan in the near future! Presentations will begin at 7:45 am.

8:30 am-1:30 pm: Morning Tours
Morning tours with lunch included. Attire: Casual, wear comfortable shoes.

Lewis & Clark Trail
Time to hit the trail! Experience engaging exhibits, hundreds of period artifacts, world-class art collections and friendly interpreters who tell the story of the Lewis and Clark Expedition like never before at the Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center. Step back in time at the reconstructed Fort Mandan, where Lewis & Clark spent the winter of 1804-05, meeting Sakakawea, their indispensable guide during the rest of their travels.
 
   

Bismarck-Mandan Art Trail
See the art. Snap the art. Share the art. Win the prizes! We'll visit quite a few of the 100 locations on the Bismarck-Mandan Art Trail. All the way from Bismarck Downtown Artist Cooperative (BDAC) to our Art Alley 5.5, in downtown Bismarck, to some vending machines (Meadowlark Mercantile) that dispense art at your fingertips, to a Free Little Art Gallery, along the Missouri River. Paul Noot, local artist and teacher, will help guide our way. Enjoy lunch with another great local artist, Nicole Gagner. Hear some Talking Trail information on Art Alley 5.5.
 

ND State Capitol & Paleontology Tour
Take a guided tour of the North Dakota State Capitol and hear why it has no dome and how the Art Deco-styled building came to be. Then we'll dig deep into an in-depth paleontology tour at the North Dakota Heritage Center and State Museum while learning about the secrets that the ground below our state hides. While there, come skin to skin with Dakota, our dino-mummy. Only one of six known in the world to have actual mummified skin.
 

Create, Throw and Sip
Beginner-friendly! One of our amazing local artists, Nicole Gagner, will lead you in a class to make a mixed media journaling project that you can use as a visual travel log in future travels. Afterwards, make your way to Laughing Sun Brewing where we will learn all about their award winning brewery & BBQ restaurant. Then, why not try your hand at axe, spear, star and metal card throwing?! It's International Axe Throwing Day so it sounds perfect. We'll grab lunch and one of their beverages on tap, then be back to the hotel. You must wear closed toe shoes and pre-sign a waiver.
 



2:00-3:30 pm: Professional Development Sessions
Radisson Hotel Bismarck.
                                                                    
Actives: Catharine Hamm. The Write Stuff: How to Go to the Head of the Class. What's not to love about travel writing, other than lots of hard work away from home with an uncertain payoff? We will explore the seven keys to success, including the art of pitching, the craft of distinguished writing and details that make the difference between good work and great work.
 
Catharine Hamm was born in upstate New York but now lives in Los Angeles because of her strong anti-snow stance. Her father, a federal civil servant, used to disguise the many journeys to his new assignments as “vacations.” She was well into her 30s by the time she realized she had been duped, but despite the sleight of hand, she still likes to travel and spent much of her career as a travel journalist, including more than two decades at the Los Angeles Times. She is the managing editor for the digital blog Discover.Silversea.com. In her spare time, she is the president of the SATW Foundation, which administers the Lowell Thomas Awards, runs a writing coaching program for SATW and edits and writes a monthly newsletter on writing for SATW.
Associates: Leslie Holbrook. Optimizing the Power of PR. From earned media coverage and influencer partnerships to paid content packages and more, PR practitioners are on the front lines when ensuring each initiative and tactic earns results. Leslie will share strategies for driving success with multi-faceted integrated programs. Through substantiated examples and tangible takeaways, we’ll share the recipe to developing and maintaining relationships with media, when to consider social media content creators and how to bring it all together with measurable results.

Leslie Holbrook, Senior Vice President, Fahlgren Mortine, is a strategic practitioner and leader of national PR and influencer engagement programs with 19 years of tourism marketing experience. She has led several tourism clients for Fahlgren Mortine including North Dakota Tourism, Visit Myrtle Beach, TourismOhio, Wyoming Tourism and Columbia, SC, CVB accounts. Under her direction, Fahlgren Mortine’s work has earned national Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) Anvil recognition, the industry’s highest honor, six times.

4:00-8:00 pm: Evening at the North Dakota Heritage Center and State Museum
Our North Dakota Heritage Center and State Museum are referred to as the "Smithsonian on the Prairie" and people are in disbelief when they find out it's free to the public; it is the State's gift to its people. North Dakota’s largest museum features four museum galleries tracing the state’s rich history from its earliest geologic formation 600 million years ago to today. Attire: Dressy Casual.
 

Guided Tours of the Galleries. Tour the interactive galleries that lead you through the story of early North Dakota life and geology, featuring life-sized skeleton casts of Tyrannosaurus Rex and Triceratops, ready to battle. Continue into the next two galleries and learn more about the history of North Dakota while experiencing it through the eyes of those who once walked the plains, prairies and valleys.

Taste of North Dakota Dinner and Tour of North Dakota Showcase. Enjoy a Dakota-themed dinner then visit with tourism partners and regions of North Dakota to find out some great story ideas, businesses, locations and unique spots in our state! Hear from Bill Peterson, Director of the State Historical Society of North Dakota.

8:30-10:30 pm: Socializing in the Hotel Lounge with North Dakota
Catch up with friends, old and new at the Radisson Hotel Bismarck’s Off Broadway Lounge. Local and statewide partners who were at Heritage Center will be invited to join us so you can keep the conversations going.
 

Friday, June 14

6:00-7:15 am: Optional: Morning Photography Along the Missouri River
Enjoy a morning photography outing along and overlooking the Missouri River with local photographer and historian, Johnathan Campbell. Tomorrow is Nature Photography Day so you will want to bank a few pics! Please let us know if you plan to attend this early morning activity so that we can plan for appropriate transportation. Attire: Casual, wear comfortable shoes.

Johnathan Campbell is a fine art photographer and active member of the Bismarck-Mandan arts community. They have a B.A. in Visual Arts from the University of North Dakota, have twice been selected as the Artist in Residence for North Dakota State Parks and have shown their work across the state.
 
7:00-8:00 am: Breakfast Buffet
Radisson Hotel Bismarck.

8:15-10:15 am: Media Marketplace
Radisson Hotel Bismarck. This is the time for our Active members to visit with Associate members, one-on-one, about their destinations. All members, please plan to attend the entire Marketplace to get the most out of your time, garnering new information on story ideas. Attire: Business Casual/Logowear.

10:30 am-12:00 pm: Business Meeting
Radisson Hotel Bismarck. Spring 2024 Business Meeting for Active and Associate members of MTJA.

12:15 pm: Downtown Bismarck Lunch Dine Around
Pick from some locally-owned favorites, all within 4 blocks of the hotel: Anima Cucina, Blarney Stone Irish Pub, CraftCade Retro Arcade or Brick Oven Bakery. Attire: Casual, wear comfortable shoes.
 

3:00 pm: Guided Tours of Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park
We'll break up into groups as we tour On-A-Slant Mandan Indian Village and the General George Custer House. Attire: Casual, wear comfortable shoes.

History comes to life at the park! Take a trip to 1875 and the home of General George and Libbie Custer on Cavalry Square, where their staff still entertains guests with stories of Libbie, the General and the time they spent in Dakota Territory, prior to his ill-fated trip to the Battle of the Little Bighorn. On-A-Slant Mandan Indian Village, dating back to the 1500s, features six rebuilt earthlodges with exhibits and guided tours. Visit the Talking Trail site to hear more!
 

6:00 pm: Leave the Fort for Dinner at the Stage Stop Saloon and Grill
Grab a cold beverage and enjoy some fab food before a night on the Missouri River!

7:15 pm: Leave the Stage Stop for a sunset cruise on the Lewis & Clark Riverboat
The riverboat provides you with a direct connection to the heritage and history of the Missouri River. Enjoy the evening in a relaxing style and take in the beauty of what the river provides.

9:45 pm: Load transportation and return to the Radisson.
 

Optional on Your Own Activity: 510.2 Speakeasy or LÜFT
510.2 Speakeasy is a hidden cocktail bar in the heart of downtown Bismarck. They are known for unique craft cocktails, rare bourbons and prohibition-era atmosphere. LÜFT is a rooftop bar featuring fresh cocktails, craft brews with spectacular views unlike anywhere else in North Dakota!
 

Saturday, June 15

7:30-8:30 am: Breakfast Buffet and Vice Presidents' Hours
Radisson Hotel Bismarck. Come early to grab breakfast and take it to our concurrent Vice Presidents' Hours for Actives and Associates. Guests are welcome to breakfast but VP Hours are for members only.

8:25/45 am-2:00 pm: Tours
Tours will have lunch included. Attire: Casual, appropriate for tours, wear comfortable shoes.

Kayaking with Paddle On
It’s time that you came face to face with the Mighty Missouri River and kayak in a leisurely way. Rivers are known for disguising some of their coolest features. The water can hide sandbars to hang out at or completely mask historical sites. If you want to explore the secrets of the Missouri River safely, then sign up for this guided kayak tour. First-timers are welcome! Weather dependent.
 

Nostalgic Glass Wet Plate Studio with Shane Balkowitsch and Unconventional Cookies with Witney Nielsen
Meet with Shane, a local self-taught glass wet plate photographer, tour his studio and experience a demonstration of his process. In 2019 he photographed Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg which later was archived at the Library of Congress in Washington D.C. His 2016 wet plate photograph of boxer Evander Holyfield now resides in the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery. He is proud to be trusted to take Jon Batiste's portrait, where the original plate went to the New Orleans Jazz Museum in his home state. More recent (January 2024) Northern Plains Native American images will land at the State Historical Society of ND, State Historical Society of SD and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences (The Oscars) permanent collections. You will not want to miss this tour! We'll also meet up with Witney and have fun learning about her incredibly unique Unconventional Cookies. She makes interactive & irreverent cookies and urges you to play with your food. And in general.

Golf Time - Yes, Please!
Head to the tee boxes at one of Bismarck-Mandan's increduble seven golf courses. Hawktree Golf Club features an open, links-style design with a mere 80 acres of irrigated turf grass. The eco friendly course is framed by hills planted in native grasses. Emerald green fairways, bordered by the rusty red grasses, and punctuated with black sand bunkers - the coloration creates a scene of incomparable beauty. Weather dependent.

Black Leg Ranch and Brewery Lunch
We're going to head to a working ranch and see where the Doan family utilizes Holistic Management to regenerate the grassland and cropland while propagating all the incredible wildlife species. Did we mention that they also run Black Leg Brewery, Black Leg Meats, host events and a full-service hunting operation? They do it all and do it well. You might also be able to pet a baby bison, Babe, if you're lucky.

After that we'll head back into Bismarck for a great lunch at one of our local breweries.
 
Afternoon: Free Time
Catch-up on work, relax, pack, make one last run to a favorite stop or pick one that we missed!

6:00 pm: Closing Reception & Dinner
Radisson Hotel Bismarck. Attire: Dressy.

8:30-11:00 pm: Until Next Time, in the Hotel Bar
One last toast with your MTJA friends until the next conference! Radisson Hotel Bismarck’s Off Broadway Lounge.
 
 

Sunday, June 16

6:30-8:30 am: Drop-in Breakfast
Radisson Hotel Bismarck.

Throughout the Day: MTJA Members Depart and Post-Tours Begin
 
It's Father’s Day! If you have driven, or have a flight later in the day, there may be events like a Father’s Day Hike at Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park, Father’s Day at Raging Rivers Waterpark, the Dakota Zoo and the North Dakota State Railroad Museum that you might like to do. We will research this as we get closer and compile a list to share.